session

American  

[sesh-uhn] / ˈsɛʃ ən /

noun

• sessions
  plural

1. the sitting together of a court, council, legislature, or the like, for conference or the transaction of business.

   Congress is now in session.

2. a single continuous sitting, or period of sitting, of persons so assembled.

3. a continuous series of sittings or meetings of a court, legislature, or the like.

4. the period or term during which such a series is held.

5. sessions, (in English law) the sittings or a sitting of justices in court, usually to deal with minor offenses, grant licenses, etc.

6. a single continuous course or period of lessons, study, etc., in the work of a day at school.

   Through a mixture of both lectures and lab sessions, you will develop a broad engineering skill base.

7. a portion of the year into which instruction is organized at a college or other educational institution.

   She’s enrolled in a six-week summer session.

8. the governing body of a local Presbyterian church, composed of the pastor who moderates and the elders.

9. a period of time during which a group of persons meets to pursue a particular activity.

   It was the last show before their recording sessions this week where they will produce their first album.

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session British  

/ ˈsɛʃən /

noun

1. the meeting of a court, legislature, judicial body, etc, for the execution of its function or the transaction of business

2. a single continuous meeting of such a body

3. a series or period of such meetings

4. education

   1. the time during which classes are held

   2. a school or university term or year

5. Presbyterian Church the judicial and administrative body presiding over a local congregation and consisting of the minister and elders

6. a meeting of a group of musicians to record in a studio

7. a meeting of a group of people to pursue an activity

8. any period devoted to an activity

9. See Court of Session

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session Idioms  

1. see bull session.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• presession
  noun
• sessional
  adjective
• sessionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• sessions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of session

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English sessio(u)n, cessio(u)n, from Anglo-French, Middle French session, from Latin sessiōn- (stem of sessiō ) “sitting, bench, law-court sitting,” equivalent to sess(us) (past participle of sedēre to sit ¹ ) + -iōn- -ion

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Explanation

A session is a specific block of time dedicated to something. Court may be in session, or school may be in session, or you just might find yourself enjoying a massage therapy session. The noun session also means a meeting of a board or committee to conduct business. The school board, for example, may hold a special session to discuss budget issues. Session can also refer to a gathering of spiritualists at a séance or a meeting with a psychic. You might have a session with a medium who claims she's delivering a message to you from your great-great-grandmother.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

session sessions

Participants were assigned to either a progressive exercise therapy program or a comparison group that received a single educational session.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026

In a session of Prime Minister's Questions in September, Prime Minister Andy Burnham agreed to meet Niblett on the issue and praised her for "raising important issues that others won't talk about".

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

Such losses would result in the fewest Republicans in both state bodies since the 1875-76 session, according to Alex Vassar, communications manager at the California State Library.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

They had been staying with family to save on rent when Hopkin attended an informational session held by his employer, Moxtek, a manufacturing company headquartered in Orem, Utah, and NestSteps.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026

I ended up taking first on vault and balance beam in my junior session, and third all-around, with a final score of 53.650.

From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles

During these sessions, he also distributes photos taken while he was sick to help convince residents that Ebola is real.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2026

Her experience changed after she enrolled in the SUPER-Knee trial and began participating in weekly rehabilitation sessions supervised by a physical therapist.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 14, 2026

But working with Eggers to wrap her voice around the phonemes of Middle English, the sessions brought something ancient and profound out of her.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2026

Micron stock is up 16% in the past five trading sessions.

From Barron's ● Nov. 13, 2026

The spirit tower halls spilled over with excitement as trainees moved between sessions and chased the new Halloween decorations popping up all over the Institute.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

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Related Words

• conference
• discussion
• hearing
• period
• term

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